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Law, Justice and Development Week 2023—Partnering for Impact: Enabling and Mobilizing the Private Sector for Sustainable Development

November 13-15, 2023

Virtual & In-Person

Law, Justice and Development Week 2023

PROGRAM (PDF)

The Law, Justice and Development (LJD) Week is an annual conference organized by the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank in collaboration with partners within and outside the World Bank Group (WBG). It convenes participants from across the globe to meet and share knowledge, as well as to network and strengthen relationships for collaboration and collective action in the sphere of law, justice and development. The mission of WBG is to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet. To achieve sustainable, durable and inclusive development, WBG works in partnership with other development finance institutions (DFIs), international organizations, the public and private sectors, academia and civil society.

The theme of this year’s conference is Partnering for Impact: Enabling and Mobilizing the Private Sector for Sustainable Development. DFIs have an indispensable role to play in addressing global polycrises that undermine many of the development gains made to date and threaten most of the urgent priorities going forward. The scale of these challenges is beyond the capacity of the public sector alone and requires both private finance for private sector investments and private finance for public sector spending. LJD Week 2023 will examine how the various development partners can optimize their collaboration with particular emphasis on enabling and mobilizing the private sector. Please join us in person at the WBG Headquarters in Washington, DC or online on November 13-15, 2023.

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  • 8.45 – 9.00 AM ET

    Opening Remarks | Christopher Stephens, Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel, World Bank

     

    9.00 - 10.00 AM ET

    Session 1 | A Conversation with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank: Unlocking Private Finance for the Future

    World Bank President Ajay Banga will explore the structures and incentives needed in the multilateral finance ecosystem to catalyze diversified private sector engagement to boost the financing of global development. This fireside chat will frame the Law, Justice and Development Week 2023 discussions by setting out a vision, identifying pain-points and charting a path for lawyers and development practitioners to partner for impact and facilitate the enabling environment.

     

    Speaker:

    • Ajay Banga, President, World Bank

    Moderator:

    • Sheila Braka Musiime, Deputy General Counsel, World Bank

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    10:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET

    Session 2 | Financing Energy Transition: Crowding in The Next Generation of Private Investment

    To effectively combat climate change and transition to clean energy, multilateral development banks (MDBs) need to partner with the private sector. The panel will explore how to crowd in private finance and investment to help countries transition to renewable energy through new financing structures and partnerships.

     

    Opening Remarks:

    • Makhtar Diop, Managing Director, IFC

    Speakers:

    • Vera A. Rechsteiner, Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth
    • Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director for Energy and Extractives, World Bank
    • Ettie Philitas, Executive Director and Head of Infrastructure Debt, JPMorgan Asset Management 

    Moderator:

    • Sameena Dost, Senior Counsel, World Bank

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    1.00 – 2.30 PM ET

    Session 3 | Innovative Solutions to Meet Development Finance Needs

    Development financing needs are extremely large and they far outpace public sector resources. Private sources are necessary to create new markets and bring innovative solutions to developing countries. In this session, speakers will discuss the challenges and opportunities for private sector investment in sustainable development; as well as how public-private partnerships (PPPs) can be a tool for developing economies to attract private capital investment, increase efficiency and use of available resources; and reform sectors.

     

    Opening Remarks:

    • Hiroshi Matano, Executive Vice President, MIGA

    Speakers:

    • Marie-Luce Godinot, Senior Vice-President, Innovation, Sustainable Development and Information Systems, Group Bouygues
    • Elizabeth Tchoungui, Executive Vice President of Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Orange
    • Tim Murphy, Chief Administrative Officer, Mastercard

    Moderator:

    • Aradhana Kumar-Capoor, Director and General Counsel, MIGA

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    3.00 – 4.30 PM ET

    Session 4 | Catalyzing Private Investment for Sustainable Infrastructure: The Role for MDBs

    Sustainable infrastructure is necessary to meet global challenges, including climate change, pandemic risks, and rising fragility and conflict, which otherwise jeopardize the Bank’s new vision and mission aimed at creating a world free of poverty on a livable planet and ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, respectively. The World Bank Group and other MDBs will need to mobilize and enable large amounts of private capital to overcome the impact of these growing global challenges. This panel will discuss the legal and policy aspects of creating enabling frameworks for sustainable infrastructure, the role of the private sector, and private sector collaboration with MDBs and DFIs to further these objectives.

     

    Opening Remarks:

    • Anna Bjerde, Managing Director for Operations, World Bank 

    Speakers:

    • Diana Wilson Patrick, General Counsel and Bank Secretary, Caribbean Development Bank
    • Ramit Kumar Nagpal, Vice President and General Counsel, IFC
    • Katherine Meighan, Associate Vice-President and General Counsel, IFAD

    Moderator:

    • Jorge Familiar Calderon, Vice President and Treasurer, World Bank

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  • 8.30 – 10.00 AM ET

    Session 5 | Advancing Female Entrepreneurship by Addressing Legal Barriers

    This session will dissect the intricate relationship between legal frameworks, gender discrimination, and economic development, while examining the vital role of legal and judicial reform in advancing female entrepreneurship by dismantling barriers to access to finance. Furthermore, panelists will share their insights into the complexities of legal reform, effective tools for private sector engagement, and discuss potential solutions aimed at boosting women's access to finance.

     

    Opening Remarks: 

    • Ethiopis Tafara, Vice President, Chief Risk, Legal & Sustainability Officer and Partnerships, MIGA

    Speakers:

    • Antonia Kirkland, Global Lead for Legal Equality and Access to Justice, Equality Now
    • Monica Musonda, Chief Executive Officer, Java Foods Limited
    • Rishi Goyal, Deputy Director and Senior Adviser on Gender, International Monetary Fund

    Moderator:

    • Anastasia Gekis, Director, Operations Management, IFC

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    10.30 AM – 12.00 PM ET

    Session 6 | Role of Gender in the Judiciary

    This session will explore the essential relationship between gender and the judiciary, shedding light on how it impacts gender equality, women's empowerment, and access to justice – all integral components of sustainable development. Panelists will discuss various strategies and interventions that countries worldwide have deployed to address these challenges, including measures such as gender sensitization training, specialized gender support units, judicial process revisions, and promoting gender diversity in decision-making roles.

     

    Speakers:

    • Hon. Maria Filomena Singh, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Philippines
    • Hon. Vera Nkwate Ngassa, Justice, Supreme Court of Cameroon
    • Hon. Natalia Ángel Cabo, Justice, Constitutional Court of Colombia

    Moderator:

    • Arturo Herrera Gutiérrez, Global Director for Governance, World Bank

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    1.00 – 2.30 PM ET

    Session 7 | Leveraging Finance for Climate Change

    This session will explore the critical path ahead for climate finance. Addressing the impact of climate change requires significant financial investment. It is anticipated that $1.8 trillion a year is needed by 2030 for additional investments in climate action. This is a four-fold increase in adaptation, resilience and mitigation compared to 2019.  The World Bank delivered a record $31.7 billion in fiscal year 2022 to help countries address climate change, but the scale of financing required cannot be met by solely the international development finance system. Panelists will explore the role of official and private sector financing for climate change, including how to ensure $260 billion of additional annual official sector financing while also mobilizing and catalyzing private capital.

     

    Speakers:

    • Andrew Steer, President and CEO, Bezos Earth Fund
    • John Morton, Managing Director & Global Head of Advisory, Pollination 
    • Rachel Kyte, Dean Emerita, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

    Moderator:

    • Shirmila Ramasamy, Senior Counsel, World Bank

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    3.00 – 4.30 PM ET

    Session 8 | The Role of Data in Enabling and Mobilizing the Private Sector

    In an increasingly data-driven world, the importance of accurate data collection and analysis in investment decisions has become a pivotal driver in economic growth and development, particularly for impact investors. Additionally, the foundational element of stable and peaceful governance gives ground for a fruitful investment market. Our expert panelists will shed light on the importance of the rule of law and the transformative power of data in shaping innovative investment decisions in various countries across the globe. This discussion aims to provide a framework for a comprehensive conversation about the critical role of data in attracting and mobilizing private sector investment in developing countries, emphasizing both the opportunities and challenges involved.

     

    Opening Remarks:

    • Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director, World Bank

    Speakers:

    • Hal Varian, Chief Economist, Google
    • Ali Schmidt-Fellner, Vice President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
    • Federico Galizia, Vice President for Risk and Finance, IFC
    • Emily Kreps, Global Head of ESG and Sustainable Finance, Deutsche Bank AG

    Moderator:

    • Indermit Gill, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, World Bank

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  • 9.00 – 11.00 AM ET

    Session 9 | Law, Justice, and Development: Judges’ Perspectives

    This session is a panel with prominent judges from diverse jurisdictions. Panelists will explore the linkages between the rule-of-law and development. This topic is timely and relevant given the significant decline in rule-of-law indicators in recent years, according to various sources. There are many reasons for this decline — rising levels of corruption, fewer constraints on executive powers, and lack of transparency. This panel will explore why the rule of law, particularly judicial independence, is vital to securing sustainable development on a livable planet. Judges will also explore how development considerations are reflected or impact adjudication processes. Drawing on their rich and varied experience, panelists will offer practical recommendations for policy makers to strengthen formal and informal dispute-resolution processes and contribute towards better and sustainable development outcomes.

     

    Speakers:

    • Hon. Hassan Jallow, Chief Justice, The Gambia
    • Hon. Michael Leburu, Judge, High Court of Botswana 
    • Hon. Antonio Herman Benjamin, Justice, Superior Court of Justice of Brazil
    • Hon. Vera Nkwate Ngassa, Justice, Supreme Court of Cameroon 
    • Hon. Natalia Ángel Cabo, Justice, Constitutional Court of Colombia
    • Hon. Sapana Pradhan Malla, Justice, Supreme Court of Nepal 
    • Hon. Syed Mansoor Shah, Justice, Supreme Court of Pakistan 
    • Hon. Maria Filomena Singh, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Philippines

    Moderators:

    • Vikram Raghavan, Lead Counsel, World Bank
    • Katy Thompson, Head of Rule of Law, Security, and Human Rights, UNDP

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    1.00 – 3.00 PM ET

    Session 10 | Partnering for Impact: General Counsel Roundtable

    The General Counsels Roundtable will conclude LJD Week 2023 with a discussion about the role of the law, lawyers, and legal institutions in the sustainable development agenda. The participants and moderator, WBG General Counsel Christopher Stephens, will address risk-mitigation and regulatory challenges to private sector mobilization from their perspectives as general counsels of multilateral development banks, international financial institutions, national development agencies, and the private sector.

     

    Speakers:

    • Souley Amadou, General Counsel and Director of the Legal Service Department, African Development Bank
    • Melissa Bullen, General Counsel and Director of the Legal Office, UNICEF
    • Heikki Cantell, General Counsel and Secretary General, Nordic Investment Bank 
    • Thomas M. Clark, General Counsel, Asian Development Bank 
    • Diego Devos, General Counsel, Bank for International Settlements 
    • José María Fernández Martín, General Counsel, European Investment Bank
    • Kate Harrington, General Counsel, United Nations Development Programme
    • Jun Jin, Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Agency for International Development
    • Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes 
    • Aradhana Kumar-Capoor, Director and General Counsel, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency 
    • Ramit Kumar Nagpal, Vice President and General Counsel, International Finance Corporation 
    • Katherine Meighan, Associate Vice-President and General Counsel, International Fund for Agricultural Development
    • Michael Strauss, General Counsel, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 
    • Boubaker Tayeb, Director General and General Counsel, Islamic Development Bank 
    • Rhoda Weeks-Brown, General Counsel and Director, International Monetary Fund 
    • Diana Wilson Patrick, General Counsel and Bank Secretary, Caribbean Development Bank 
    • Vivienne Yeda, Director General, East African Development Bank 
    • Chiara Zilioli, General Counsel, European Central Bank 

    Moderator:

    • Christopher Stephens, Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel, World Bank

     

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    3.00 – 3.15 PM ET 

    Closing Remarks | Christopher Stephens, Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel, World Bank

     

     

DETAILS

  • WHEN: November 13-15, 2023
  • WHERE: World Bank Group Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
  • CONTACT: ljd@worldbank.org
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

RELATED

🔊 Start the conversation: #LJDWeek2023 @WorldBank 

📺 Replay past events: LJD Week 2021 | LJD Week 2020 | LJD Week 2019

👨‍💻 Law, Justice and Development Week websites:   2021 | 2020 | 2019

⏪ Past digital campaigns: LJD Week 2021 Facebook | LJD Week 2021 Twitter | LJD Week 2020 Facebook | LJD Week 2020 Twitter | LJD Week 2019 Facebook | LJD Week 2019 Twitter

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